And They’re Off!

For those of you not familiar with Westminster tradition, that’s just a formal way of saying the Canadian federal election is underway.

I am a political junkie. But this is not a political blog and I will for the most part steer clear of this election campaign.

I may, over the days leading up to the October 19 vote, encourage you to get involved in the process (if you are a Canadian citizen). My theory is that if you don’t get involved, then why should anyone pay any attention to your opinions on government? That is true no matter where you live. Show you care by doing more than sitting on the sidelines. Elected officials make decisions that affect your life every day. It makes sense therefore to choose those officials wisely.

Those who know me know that for most of the past decade I have worked in the political realm. Not as a volunteer, as I was in the decades before that, but as a political staffer. I have a personal stake in the outcome of this election beyond the wellbeing of the country – if the wrong party wins I may not have work on October 20.

My personal interest is exactly the reason why I won’t be writing much about this election, except in the most general terms. Showing support to the party I work for would be easy enough, as would be attacking the other parties. However I am not that black and white a person when it comes to politics. My political adversary is not my enemy, they are just someone well-meaning with whom I have a policy disagreement. Well, usually well-meaning. I do think the choice is clear for Canadians this time around. I hope many millions of people see things as I do. But I am willing to concede there are people of good will on the opposite side of the political spectrum. That’s one of the strengths of a democracy.

Of course today my plans are to refrain from using this platform to comment on the election. As the campaign unfolds I may not be able to resist. Or maybe I’ll just turn my attention to the US 2016 Presidential campaign which is also underway. I don’t get to vote in that one and can be far more objective in my commentary.